Call in the Reinforcements
by Southpaw
Summary: Haibara Ai is forced to ask Washu for help in developing the antidote to the apotoxin


Hi everyone! I thought I'd get this up here... just because it seemed like the thing to do. I wrote this in response to a fanfic challenge on another forum (contact me if you want the url, it's a cool site!).

I don't own Detective Conan or Tenchi Muyo, of course.

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/knock, knock/

"Who is it?"

"Come on Washu, just open the door!"

The entrance into the lab slid open, and a mane of pink hair leaned out into the hallway. "What can I do for ya, Tenchi?"

"This letter came for you today." He held out a plain envelope with an unfamiliar return name and address. The scientist opened it and pulled out the page it contained. "Well, what does it say?"

Washu read the letter out loud. "'Dear Miss Washu, Please come to Tokyo as soon as possible. I can guarantee this will be a rewarding scientific venture for you. You can find me at the address written on the outside of the envelope. We look forward to seeing you. Thank you in advance for your efforts.' It's signed 'Haibara Ai'… I wonder who that is."

"She said 'we'… It looks like there's more than just her involved…" Tenchi observed.

"Yeah… well, I guess I should get going, then." She turned around and went back into the lab to decide what she needed to take with her. "Oh, can I use the portal to your dorm room? It'll be so much faster that way."

"You're gonna go? But… we know nothing about this person!"

The scientist smiled at him. "She clearly knows something of my reputation. I don't see anything wrong with at least checking it out…"

"Fine, then. But I'm coming with you."

Washu shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself."

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Shinichi knocked on the door of Dr Agasa's house. He had gone back to his own home after the dissolution of the Black Organization, so the personal visit was less trouble than it had been while he was staying with the Mouris. Ai opened the door.

"Oh good, you're here," she said in a monotone voice.

"Nice to see you too, Haibara. What's up?"

"Come in… This might take a while."

The pint-sized detective went into the living room. Dr Agasa was sitting in his chair, with the television on. He greeted him as he entered. "So, you don't have to be Conan anymore…"

Shinichi gave a melancholy grin. "Nope. And Ran and her father weren't too happy when they learned the truth… You know what the strange thing is? I liked being Conan. I mean, it was tough not being able to express myself properly and run the risk of being found out… but it gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate my life a little bit. I think everything will be okay now, as long as I can get my body back to its normal size."

"Speaking of which," said Ai when she re-appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "That's why I asked you over today."

"You figured out the antidote," Shinichi asked, voice dripping with an unusual amount of hope.

"Unfortunately, no… however," she was interrupted by a knock at the front door. "Oh, that must be her. Excuse me."

The men looked at each other, neither one fully understanding what was going on. They heard the door open, and then some words exchanged with another female voice. A few seconds after it closed again, she returned with two people in tow.

"Washu-sensei, I'd like you to meet Dr Agasa Hiroshi and Kudo Shinichi. Kudo, Dr Agasa, this is Washu. She was one of my professors way back when."

The pink-haired woman introduced her companion. "This is Masaki Tenchi. He insisted on coming with me today…"

The group exchanged 'nice to meet you'-s. Washu turned to the girl who summoned her. "You say I used to be your professor… but I could swear I've never seen you before."

"Oh, that's right… I went by a different name back then. I must have gotten so used to this one that it was automatic to write it on the letter. You would know me better as Miyano Shiho."

"That's impossible!"

Shinichi took this opportunity to interrupt. "Actually, it's quite possible, and now I know why you're here. Haibara decided she couldn't do it alone!"

"Do what, exactly?"

"Don't let it go to your head, Kudo."

"Several years ago, Haibara went to work for an evil syndicate called the Black Organization," he explained. "They forced her to develop poisons, since she was so good at chemistry. After many attempts, she came up with something that she called APTX-4869. I was the first human test subject and she was the second one. Her colleagues believed that the stuff was supposed to kill me, but you can see for yourself what really happened."

"I thought there was something funny going on… I'd read in the newspapers that Kudo Shinichi was a high school student," Tenchi said.

"I am… and a detective as well… and you see where it got me!"

Washu decided she had also figured out something of what was going on. "So… basically what you want me to do is develop the antidote?"

Ai nodded her head reluctantly. "I would have been able to do it myself, except that I don't have the resources. I was able to retrieve the last samples of the apotoxin after the syndicate was dissolved, and I was able to work on it a little bit. Long story short, my equipment isn't good enough for something like this, and I decided I needed to call in reinforcements."

"Ah, so you have something to go on already? This should be a piece of cake… after all, I am the greatest scientific mind in the universe!"

The two women walked off in the direction of Ai's lab.

They returned, arms laden with folders full of various documents, to the men deep in conversation.

"Are you ready to go, Shinichi," Washu asked.

"Huh? Why do I need to go with you?"

"Miyano-san's work is pretty good, but I feel like it would be more beneficial for the subjects of my research to be within arm's reach, so to speak."

Shinichi looked at Dr Agasa, who nodded.

"Okay, then… let's go."

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Two and a half weeks passed before anyone in Tokyo got word of where Shinichi had disappeared to again. Ran figured (correctly, as usual) that Dr Agasa would know something about it, so she usually spent a couple afternoons out of each week at his house, trying to get information.

During one of the times she was there, the phone rang. This was a normal occurrence, although something felt different this time. She couldn't make out what the doctor was saying because he was in the other room, but the tone in his voice was different.

"Is it something about Shinichi," she asked when he returned.

"Um… I… uh… yes. But, I don't have much information yet, so I've basically just told you everything I know. She said she'll call again in a couple days."

"She?"

"Yes, Ai-kun is there too."

"Where?"

"I don't know exactly where it was that they went, except that it's a place that has better scientific and chemical equipment than what I have in my house."

"Scientific and chemical equipment…" Ran mumbled. "Thanks, Dr Agasa! Please, let me know when you hear back from them."

"With pleasure."

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Meanwhile, the two scientists and the detective were having an important conversation of their own.

Washu took a deep breath and sat back in her desk chair. "It's finally finished!"

"Really? We can go back to normal now," Shinichi asked, looking more the part of the little kid than ever.

Ai stared at the floor. "I don't know if I want to go back…"

"Why not," Washu asked. "We could be rivals… it might be fun."

"I caused problems for so many people while I was living that life… I don't want to run the risk of that happening again…"

"You don't have to go back to being Miyano. I know that name is associated with evil. But you have this other name. No one who knew you before is still around. You can still be Haibara, even if you change your body back to its normal size."

"But… I'd see that face every time I look in the mirror, and know what horrors the mind behind it has caused. I'd rather just start over."

Shinichi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's cheating, Haibara! Life is not like a video game – people don't get to just start over if they don't like what they've done with themselves. If you really want to do that, you're just as immature as you look!" This of course earned him a slap across the face from her. Shocked, he put his hand up to his cheek and watched her leave the room.

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Ai entered Washu's lab the next day with an ashamed look on her face. "I thought a lot about what you said, Kudo. There's always only one truth, right?"

"Uh… yeah… so, you ready?"

She gave him the first genuine smile he'd seen from her. "Yes."

"Okay then, enjoy your last day in these bodies," Washu said. "I'll give you each a pill to take before you go to bed, and that should do it!"

That evening, Shinichi and Ai each held a white pill in one hand, and a glass of water in the other. "Well, here goes nothing," Shinichi said. "I wish I was big again." They swallowed the pills and laid down on the separate futons in the room they were sharing.

Shortly, they fell asleep. It was not to be a normal night's sleep for either of them, though. They both sweated profusely and tossed continually, letting out screams of pain at irregular intervals. Not long after midnight, it stopped, and all was quiet in the lab again.

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The next morning, Washu called Dr Agasa again.

"How are they," he asked.

"They didn't wake up this morning," she replied.

"What? Are they alright?"

"I went in to check on them, and according to my instruments, they're both stable. I have to admit, I didn't really believe Miyano-san's story at first… but I guess there's a first time for everything. Both of their bodies are normal size for their age again. I'm going to let them wake up on their own because the process is very stressful, and I'm sure they can use as much extra time to rest as possible. Why don't you bring everyone out tomorrow afternoon?"

Dr Agasa took a deep, relieved breath. "I'd be more than happy to. I think I know some people who are very much looking forward to seeing them."

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A/N: So... that's all. Hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. I don't know Tenchi Muyo as well as I know DC, so please don't be too upset if I messed up their personalities.

Catch ya back on the World Tour! (PS. I changed chapter 6 to be the real chapter for the story...)


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